Job Stuff

I was hired on temporarily by USIL to do some data entry work for the up and coming Study Abroad Program. So I am heading to the University more days then Jason, every day actually, for about 24 hours this week. But, I don’t mind. I like to work, and it’s more solid work…who knows maybe it will turn into something more permanent…

Having a permanent part time or full time job would be really nice. All the running around I have to do for the ESL teaching is starting to wear on me. I’m not sure how people can do this for years on end. And the money will be more consistent. Thankfully I have taken this job, because all but one of my classes was canceled this week. And one of the schools has yet to pay me, despite my pestering emails and phone calls (I am about to tell them that I am done working there—pay me and I’m out.). Apparently this is not that uncommon in this sort of industry here in Lima, so I will be glad to leave it when I can. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for an interview at one of the schools, although I am not banking on it.

Living on one income, one that is not too shabby here, but very skimpy in the US (after the taxes have been taken out) has been difficult, especially considering we have debt in the US (most of it stupid stuff from during our schooling years, some of it from moving, and some of it my crappy teeth—we will be paying off my implant for a while. I should’ve waited til we came here, but hindsight is 20/20, I suppose).

Granted, had we stayed in the US, Jason may have been paid more (his current income but without the taxes taken out by the Peruvian government), but the likelihood of me getting a decent job near the university would’ve been slim in the current market. So we’d probably be in the same boat, just with more expensive groceries and health insurance. It’s definitely going to take us a lot longer then anticipated to pay back our moving debt and start saving for the future (thankfully the Peruvian government takes out a mandatory 8% of our paycheck and puts it in an IRA sort of thing). But nonetheless, we are here, doing what needs to be done and trying to be patient. Rumor has it, come January, our foreign tax will go down a little, so it will be nice to have a little extra money coming in. I’m not putting many eggs in that basket just yet; we will have to wait to see.